Curling and Puckering of Leaves of Terminalia arjuna in N-W States of India: Insect Pest, Natural Enemies and Control Measures

There is no past history of insects attacking arjun in north India. During field visit, curling and puckering of leaves of T. arjuna were observed. The damage was noticed in 2012 but insect remained unreported as it could not be identified. The attack has been continuing since then. There is no previous history of curling and puckering of arjun leaves in Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. The adults on the leaves were sent to Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun for identification. Dr. Sudhir Singh, Head, Division of Entomology of FRI identified the insect as Phylloplecta hirsuta. [syn. Megatrioza hirsuta (Crawford) (=Trioza hirsuta)]. The insect belongs to order Hemiptera, Superfamily Psylloidea and family Triozidae. The adult of the pest has light shining yellowish body with white transparent wings that extend well beyond pointed abdomen. The members of family Triozidae are commonly called jumping plant lice and form galls on plants by their feeding action. The life history, identification and control measures have also been suggested.